This invention is related to devices for applying protective layers to surfaces, and more particularly, to a device for applying a thin film protective layer to a flat data surface of a compact disc stamper.
Compact discs have become the primary medium in which music and other audible art forms and the like are recorded due primarily to the sound quality achieved, the convenient size, and the ease of use associated therewith. Accordingly, millions of compact discs are manufactured every year to keep up with the demand for such high quality recordings.
In the manufacturing of compact discs, a laser etched master is typically first manufactured on a glass substrate. The master is typically used in forming a nickel stamper on the glass substrate. A nickel deposition is coated on the glass substrate through a nickel electro-forming process in order to produce a like data surface having a pit structure representative of the sound being recorded, called a stamper. The stamper is a negative of the desired data surface or pit structure of the compact disc, such that when copies are made, a true replication of the audio work is created.
Since the nickel data surface includes the important information for manufacturing compact disc replications, it is desirable to protect the data surface of the flat nickel stamper so that it is not damaged through other steps involved in manufacturing the stamper, such as, for example, punching, sanding, and inspection. Accordingly, a protective layer, sheet, or tape is typically applied to the nickel surface.
Currently known techniques for applying the protective layer to the nickel surface involve the manual application of the protective layer to the nickel surface and subsequently, the manual fitting of tape to or the trimming of excess tape from around the periphery of the stamper disc. While the manual process is effective, it is very slow and also very susceptible to human error and imperfections.
There exist's, therefore, a need for an automated apparatus and method for applying a protective layer or the like to a data surface of a compact disc stamper.